Display box



Jan. 24, 1956 W. E. PRATT ETAL DISPLAY BOX Filed Sept. 14. 1953 will(4rd E P 712,235 and 506 ZUzLZfiurfienaric/iisowd:

United States Patent DISPLAY BOX Application September 14, 1953, SerialNo. 379,769 2 Claims. (Cl. 206-4531) This invention relates tocontainers and more particularly to containers formed from readilybendable sheet material such as corrugated or solid fibre paperboard.

Objects of the invention are to provide a container which can be formedfrom sheet material with a minimum of waste and which can be deliveredto the user in fiat or unassembled form and readily set up by him withsimple equipment such as by use of adhesive or an inexpensive staplingmachine.

A further object is to provide a container that can be readily closedand which is adapted to retain the contents in relatively compactcondition.

A further object is to provide a container having ventilating anddisplay openings in the top panel, the material from which such openingsare formed also serving as part of the wall structure of the container.

Other objects of this invention will, in part, be obvious and in partappear hereinafter.

This invention is disclosed in the embodiment thereof shown in theaccompanying drawings and it comprises the features of construction,combination of elements and arrangements of parts which will beexemplified in the 1 construction hereinafter set forth and the scope ofthe application of which will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the drawings illustrating one embodiment of the invention:

Fig. l is a perspective view of the container in set-up condition;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the blank for the top portion of the container;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary detail view of certain parts of the top portion;and

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the bottom portion of the container.

The invention, as herein disclosed, resides in the provision of acontainer top portion formed from a substantially rectangular blankwhich is cut and creased to form a top panel, side walls, end panelsformed from cut-out portions in the top panel so as to effect the dualpurpose of providing ventilating and display openings as well as endwall structure, and a bottom portion for closing the bottom of thecontainer.

In Fig. 1 the top portion of the container is indicated as a whole at 1and the bottom portion at 2. The top portion has crease lines 3, 3 and4, 4 impressed therein to define a central top panel 5, side walls 6, 6,and relatively narrow supporting strips 7, 7 for the end wall panels,indicated at 8, 8.

The end wall panels are of a dimension transversely of the top panelsomewhat less than the width of the top panel, these end wall panelsbeing formed by slits along one long edge and two of the shorter edgeswhereby the end wall panels are adapted to swing along the crease lines4, 4 which separate the end walls from the end wall supporting strips 7,7.

Corner flaps 9, 9, which are hingedly supported on the 2 side walls 6, 6along crease lines 4, 4, provide means for connecting the adjacent endsof the .sides and end walls when they are brought into a position atsubstantially right angles to the top panel.

The bottom portion 2 has a central panel 11 and side attaching portionsor flaps 12, 12 hingedly related to the panel along crease lines 13, 13.

When it is desired to set up the top portion of the container the sidewalls are moved to a position at substantially right angles to the toppanel and the end wall panels are moved about crease lines 4, 4 throughan arc of substantially 270 degrees to bring them into substantiallyright angled relationship to the top panel. It is to be noted thatduring swinging of the end wall about the crease lines 4, the end walland end wall supporting strip will move substantially through 180degrees of arc until the end wall supporting strip comes to rest againstthe under surface of the top panel. The end wall supporting strip canthen move no farther. The end wall is then swung substantially degreesfarther, bringing it thus in end Wall forming position.

It is to be noted that openings are thus provided in the top panelsomewhat smaller in size than the size of the end wall due to the factthat the end wall supporting strips are brought into position so as topartially cover such openings.

With the end walls and side walls brought down into position at rightangles to the top panel, the side wall corner flaps 9, 9 can then besecured, preferably by means of staples 14, 14 to the edge portions ofthe end walls thereby completing the top portion of the container.

When it is desired to fill the container with produce such as apples orother fruit, the top portion is inverted and filled while so inverted,preferably with a single layer of fruit of a size which will not passthrough the openings in the top panel.

With the top portion filled the next step is to close the container.This can readily be done by securing the attaching flaps 12, 12 of thebottom portion as by means of staples 15, 15, to the two opposite walls,preferably the side walls as herein illustrated.

By making the bottom wall panel 11 somewhat narrower than the width ofthe container it is possible to cause the contents to be firmly andcompactly held by the container so as to minimize vibration or shiftingof the pieces of fruit or other articles during the course of shipment.

While the container has been illustrated and described as elongated andwith the walls struck from the top panel as end Walls, it is to beunderstood that it is within the scope of the invention to form the sidewalls from the material of the top panel, reference to side and endwalls being merely for convenience of description. It will also beunderstood that the top portion of the container may in certain cases beused in inverted position as a tray without requiring the bottom to beassembled therewith.

Since certain other changes can be made in the foregoing describedconstruction and different embodiments of the invention can be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope thereof, it is intended thatall matter shown in the accompanying drawings and described hereinbeforeshall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed as new is:

l. A container top portion formed of paperboard sheet materialcomprising a rectangular top panel, a side wall panel hingedly joined toeach side edge of said top panel, end wall supporting strips hingedlyjoined adjacent their extremities to the end edges of said top panel arectangular end wall panel hingedly joined to each end wall supportingstrip intermediate its extremities, said end wall panels being struckfrom the material of the opposite end portions of said top panel, cornerflaps hingedly joined to the end edges of said side wall panels saidside wall panels being folded downwardly substantially at right anglesto said top panel, said end wall supporting strips being folded throughapproximately 180 degrees to a position just below and in substantialparallelism with said top panel, said end wall panels being foldedthrough approximately 270 degrees to a downwardly extending positionsubstantially at right angles to said top panel, and said corner flapson opposite side wall panels being folded toward one another topositions in partial face to face contact with said end Wall panels, andmeans for securing said corner flaps to said end wall flaps.

2. A container including a top portion as defined in claim 1 and abottom portion including a bottom panel shorter and narrower than saidtop panel, attaching flanges hingedly joined to the side edges of saidbottom panel and means for securing said attaching flanges to the loweredges of said side wall panels.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS799,335 Henrich Sept. 12, 1905 2,354,098 Bamber July 18, 1944 2,510,760Schott June 6, 1950

